Washington_County,_Texas

Washington County, Texas

Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, known for the Convention of 1836 where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. As of 2000, the population was 30,373. Its county seat is Brenham. The county is named for George Washington, the first president of the United States.

The Brenham Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Washington County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 621 square miles (1,609 km²), of which, 609 square miles (1,578 km²) of it is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) of it (1.95%) is water.

Major highways

See List of highways in Washington County for more roadways in Washington County.

Adjacent counties

Brazos County (north)
Grimes County (northeast)
Waller County (east)
Austin County (south)
Fayette County (southwest)
Lee County (west)
Burleson County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 30,373 people, 11,322 households, and 7,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 13,241 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.68% White, 18.66% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 4.02% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 8.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.6% were of German, 6.1% American, 5.7% English, 5.3% Irish and 5.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. 88.1% spoke English, 8.6% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language.

There were 11,322 households out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.80% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 22.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,760, and the median income for a family was $43,982. Males had a median income of $31,698 versus $21,346 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,384. About 9.80% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.80% of those under age 18 and 14.50% of those age 65 or over.